Whether your kitchen is a true fixer-upper from decades ago or your once-trendy laminate countertop and linoleum flooring fell out of style fast, it may be time to modernize your outdated kitchen. With new design trends showcasing creative uses of colors, modern appliances, and functional design, there are endless ways to bring your kitchen into the present day.

Shop around the holidays: For many countries, the holidays are the perfect time for home improvement stores to put appliances on sale. In the United States – Presidents Day, Fourth of July, Memorial Day and Labor Day are big weekends for appliance shopping. Many will offer specials for buying the appliance during the holiday, and may offer advanced incentives if paying with store credit or credit cards. Around the holidays, look in your newspapers and online home improvement store advertisements to see what deals your local store may be having. Also check with department stores located in shopping centers or malls. They too, may offer holiday appliance deals to compete with home improvement stores to vie for your business.

Assess your current storage options: If your shelves do not hold enough items, consider getting new shelving installed that is deeper or wider to accommodate more. Instead of only using one type of shelving, vary the storage throughout the pantry. Spices and condiments may be able to be stored on an organization shelf on the back of the doors to free up shelf space. Pullout drawers for and varying height shelves can give flexibility for housing small kitchen appliances and varying sized boxed goods.